Michael Schumacher latest news: F1 star could be in a coma forever

Neurosurgeons say German hero may never wake up after his French skiing accident.

Michael Schumacher’s health has come under the microscope in recent days with leading professionals in the field of brain injury saying it is possible he will never fully recover.

Neurological experts have been interviewed about the former Formula One star’s future as he continues to recover from a skiing accident in the French Alps.

A point of view was that is would be the best course of action to keep him in a medically induced coma, so as not to cause any more damage to Schumacher’s brain.

The 45-year-old has been in a medically induced coma at a hospital in Grenoble since an accident on a ski field in the French Alps on December 29 last year.

The latest official report on his condition being “critical but stable”, Schumacher’s management team adamant they will release no more updates unless there is a change in his condition.

Neurosurgeon Andreas Zieger of the University Clinic for neurosurgery in Oldenburg, a man not part of Schumacher’s medical team, said the time the former Ferrari driver has been in a coma could complicate his recovery.

“We should not speculate here. Ultimately, we are talking about life and death. A coma can in theory be maintained for a lifetime. It won’t hurt the human brain,” Zieger said.

“Brain injuries are among the most complicated injuries that can happen to the human body.

“Predictions about how long a person might be in a coma or potential complications are seldom reliable.”

Another expert, Professor Gereon Fink from Cologne said the length in which Schumacher has been in a coma,which now stands at 18 days, normally indicates serious damage to the brain.

“If the injuries are so severe that it would harm the patient, he is kept longer in the medically induced coma,” Professor Fink said.

“Depending on where bleeding has taken place can lead to unilateral paralysis, speech disorders or personality changes.”